Approbation of the Non-Verbal Technique for Assessment of the Satisfaction with Body Parts

A new assessment tool is proposed for measuring the attitude to individual parts of one's body, applicable to persons with physical disabilities. The forms for testing contain schematic images of the man figure and person's face, on which the sections are marked out. It is necessary to put a specific rating on a 5-point scale in the each segment of body and face. Approbation was carried out in adolescents 11-18 years old with typical development (ATD, 103 people) and with motor disabilities and IQ within normal range (AMD, 31 people). Specific and averaged assessments of the face, body, limbs, etc. were obtained. Psychometric analysis showed that the adolescents of both groups basically assess their body with points 4 and 5. In both groups, there are about 9% of respondents with low ratings (below 3.5). There are significant sex differences in the estimates of certain parts of the body. The ANOVA reveals reliable effects of interaction of the factors of sex, age and the presence of disorders in comparison of the ATD and AMD groups. In particular, the lowest scores are typical for girls 11-14 years of the AMD group. The validity of the proposed technique is indicated by regular correlations with other body image estimates, self-esteem and neuroticism. The proposed diagnostic tool can be recommended for research purposes in work with adolescents and adults with physical appearance defects.

1. Postavneva I.V. Fenomenologiya obraza tela detei s fizicheskimi defektami [Phenomenology of the body image of children with physical defects]. In E.V. Burenkova (Ed.) Psikhologiya telesnosti: teoreticheskie i prakticheskie issledovaniya. Sbornik statei II mezhdunarodnoi nauchno-prakticheskoi konferentsii [Psychology of corporeality: theoretical and practical research. Collection of articles of the II International Scientific and Practical Conference]. Penza: publ. of PGPU im. V.G. Belinskogo, 2009, 320 p.
2. Ramsi N., Harcourt D. Psikhologiya vneshnosti [The psychology of appearance]. Saint-Petersburg. Piter, 2009, 256 p.
3. Sakharova V.G. Psikhologiya tela. Diagnostika otnosheniya k telu [Psychology of the body. Diagnostics of attitude to the body]. Saint-Petersburg: Rech', 2011, 112 p.
4. Sokolova E.T. Samosoznanie i samootsenka pri anomaliyakh lichnosti: Uchebnoe posobie. [Self-awareness and self-esteem in case of personality anomalies: Textbook]. Moscow: publ. of MSU, 1989, 210 p.
5. Timofeeva I.V. Obraz tela kak komponent "Ya-kontseptsii" lichnosti detei s detskim tserebral'nym paralichom [The body image as a component of the "Self-concept" of the personality of children with infantile cerebral palsy] [Electronic resource]. Vestnik Adygeiskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta. Seriya 3: Pedagogika i psikhologiya. [Bulletin of Adyghe State University. Ser. 3: Pedagogy and Psychology], 2011, no. 4. URL: http://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/obraz-tela-kak-komponent-ya-kontseptsii-lichnosti-detey-s-detskim-tserebralnym-paralichom (Accessed: 30.10.2017).
6. Agam R., Tamir S. Golan M. Gender differences in respect to self-esteem and body image as well as response to adolescents’ school-based prevention programs. Journal of Psychology and Clinical Psychiatry, 2015, vol. 2, no. 5, pp. 1–7. DOI: 10.15406/jpcpy.2015.02.00092
7. Avalos L. et al. The Body Appreciation Scale: Development and psychometric evaluation. Body Image, 2005, vol. 2, no. 3, pp. 285–297. DOI:10.1016/j.bodyim.2005.06.002
8. Bearman S.K. et al. The skinny on body dissatisfaction: A longitudinal study of adolescent girls and boys. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 2006, vol. 35, no. 2, pp. 217–229. DOI: 10.1007/s10964-005-9010-9
9. Brennan M.A., Lalonde C.E., Bain J.L. Body image perceptions: Do gender differences exist? Psi Chi Journal of Undergraduate Research, 2010, vol. 15, no. 3, pp. 130–138. DOI: 10.24839/1089-4136.JN15.3.130
10. Bucchianeri M. et al. Body dissatisfaction from adolescence to young adulthood: findings from a 10-year longitudinal study. Body Image, 2013, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 1–7. DOI: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2012.09.001
11. Calzo J.P. et al. The development of associations among BMI, body dissatisfaction, and weight and shape concern in adolescent boys and girls. Journal of Adolescent Health, 2012, vol. 51, no. 5, pp. 517–523. DOI: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2012.02.021
12. Fox K.R., Corbin C.B. The physical self-perception profile: development and preliminary validation. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 1989, vol. 11, pp. 408–430. DOI: 10.1123/jsep.11.4.408
13. Furnham A., Badmin N., Sneade I. Body image dissatisfaction: gender differences in eating attitudes, self-esteem, and reasons for exercise. The Journal of Psychology, 2002, vol. 136, no. 6, pp. 581–596. DOI: 10.1080/00223980209604820
14. Gardner R.M. Brown D.L. Body image assessment: A review of figural drawing scales. Personality and Individual Differences, 2010, vol. 48, pp. 107–111. DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2009.08.017
15. Hammar G.R. et al. Body image in adolescents with cerebral palsy. Journal of Child Health Care, 2009, vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 19–29. DOI: 10.1177/1367493508098378
16. Hart E.A., Leary M.R., Rejeski W.J. The measurement of social physique anxiety. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 1989, vol. 11, pp. 94–104. DOI: 10.1123/jsep.11.1.94
17. Laus M.F, Costa T.M.B., Almeida S.S. Body image dissatisfaction and its relationship with physical activity and body mass index in Brazilian adolescents. Journal Brasileiro de Psiquiatria, 2011, vol. 60, no. 4, pp. 315–320. DOI: 10.1590/S0047-20852011000400013
18. Lawlor M.C., Elliot M.L. Physical disability and body image in children. In T. Cash (Ed.) Encyclopedia of Body Image and Human Appearance. Elsevier Press, 2012, vol. 2, pp. 650–656. DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-12-384925-0.00102-4
19. Lerner R. et al. Relations among physical attractiveness, body attitudes, and self-concept in male and female college students. Journal of Psychology, 1973, vol. 85, pp. 119–129. DOI: 10.1080/00223980.1973.9923870
20. Lynch E. et al. The relation between body size perception and change in body mass index over 13 years: The coronary artery risk development in young adults (CARDIA) study. American Journal of Epidemiology, 2009, vol. 169, no. 7, pp. 857–866. DOI: org/10.1093/aje/kwn412
21. Markey C.H., Gillen M.M. Body Image. In R.J.R. Levesque (Ed.) Encyclopedia of Adolescence. Springer International Publishing AG, 2016. Pp. 1–14. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-32132-5_25-2
22. Petrie T.A., Tripp M.M., Harvey P. Factorial and construct validity of the body parts satisfaction scale-revised: An examination of minority and nonminority women. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 2002, vol. 26, pp. 213–221. DOI: 10.1111/1471-6402.00060
23. Pingitore R, Spring B., Garfield D. Gender differences in body satisfaction. Obesity Research, 1997, vol. 5, no. 5, pp. 402–409. DOI: 10.1002/j.1550-8528.1997.tb00662.x
24. Presnell K., Bearman S.K., Stice E.  Risk factors for body dissatisfaction in adolescent boys and girls: A prospective study. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 2004, vol. 36, pp. 389–401. DOI: 10.1002/eat.20045
25. Rauste-von Wright M. Body image satisfaction in adolescent girls and boys: A longitudinal study. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 1989, vol.18, pp. 71–83. DOI: 10.1007/BF02139247
26. Ricciardelli L.A., Yager Z. Adolescence and Body Image. From Development to Preventing Dissatisfaction. NY: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2016, 225 p.
27. Rumsey N., Harcourt D. Body image and disfigurement: issues and interventions. Body Image, 2004, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 83–97. DOI: 10.1016/S1740-1445(03)00005-6
28. Sandström K. The lived body – experiences from adults with cerebral palsy. Clinical Rehabilitation, 2007, vol. 21, no. 5, pp. 432–441. DOI: 10.1177/0269215507073489.
29. Slade P.D. et al. Development and preliminary validation of the body satisfaction scale (BSS). Psychology and Health, 1990, vol. 4, pp. 213–220. DOI: 10.1080/08870449008400391
30. Smolak L. Body image in children and adolescents: where do we go from here? Body Image, 2004, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 15–28. DOI: 10.1016/S1740-1445(03)00008-1
31. Swami V. et al. Initial examination of the validity and reliability of the female photographic figure rating scale for body image assessment. Personality and Individual Differences, 2008, vol. 44, pp. 1752–1761. DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2008.02.002
32. Taleporos G., McCabe M.P. Body image and physical disability – personal perspectives. Social Science and Medicine, 2002, vol. 54, pp. 971–980. DOI: 10.1016/S0277-9536(01)00069-7
33. Webb B. et al. Assessing positive body image: Contemporary approaches and future directions. Body Image, 2015, vol. 14, pp. 130–145. DOI: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2015.03.010
34. Wooley O.W., Roll S. The Color-A-Person Body Dissatisfaction Test: stability, internal consistency, validity, and factor structure. Journal of Personal Assessment, 1991, vol. 56, no. 3, pp. 395–413. DOI: 10.1207/s15327752jpa5603_3.